


The Bet

by paxm



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Drama, F/M, High School Teacher AU, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-26
Updated: 2017-06-05
Packaged: 2018-09-27 03:44:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,615
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9954698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/paxm/pseuds/paxm
Summary: Computer Science teacher, Daisy Johnson has to help the new Spanish Substitute teacher get his bearings with the students at Garfield High School. Written for AU – Quakerider as teachers in a High School





	1. The Start of a New Year

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So I saw an AU headcanon by @quakerider-hell about Quakerider being teachers and I couldn’t help myself. This is my first official contribution to any fandom, so I hope it is okay. Will I continue it? I have no idea, but inspiration struck at the time. I will probably continue for the second day of school because he we need some closure. Thank you for the inspiration @quakerider-hell and @bilutata

“What do you think?”

“I don’t know…he doesn’t exactly seem like a pushover? Do you think he’ll last longer than Mr. Gutierrez? Maybe we can make him quit by the end of the month? I wonder if he’ll stay longer? What do you all think?”

“I’m down for that bet. I need gas money.”

“You don’t drive Manuel?”

“Alright, well at least for some bus money, damn.”

“Not gonna lie guys, I’m rooting for this sub. He seems pretty chill and I hear he came back to this area because he has some ‘unfinished business’ whatever the hell that means?”

“Not to mention he is nice on the eyes. That glare he gives is just…”

“Alright that’s enough. Remember, let’s actually stay focused on creating a website for your project, yes?” said Daisy

Daisy had had enough of the conversation the newly reenergized students. The struggle of teaching electives, specifically the computer class, meant that you get the wide range of all the students from the nervous ninth graders to some of the obnoxious “think they’re your bro” twelfth graders in the same class. As her students finally focused on creating a website for their projects, she reflected on all the things that went wrong that day. She didn’t realize she would be 100% done after the start of the new year. There were already so many rumors, and behavioral issues from her students and it wasn’t even lunch yet.

But as her students got back to work, she traced back the cause of all her irritation. Her lack of coffee due to her morning run in with the man as she was leaving the coffee shop.

She had already gotten her coffee in hand looked down at her phone for a split second as she got an incoming text from her fellow coworker Jemma and wham!

“Shit!” she rammed into the man as her coffee spilled all over her plaid shirt and jeans.

Of all days, it had to be the day she needed her coffee the most. The first day back from winter vacation to Garfield High School. Give or take, it was her fault as well because she didn’t look up as she was turning the corner. But all she thought was this run-in made her lose her coffee, and now her brand new coffee stained shirt would have to be changed before she got to work. Therefore, this fool of man was evil incarnate himself. Little dramatic she had to admit, but teaching high schoolers without coffee in her system is a nightmare in and of itself.

“I’m so sorry, please…I just...towels. You need towels! Towels? Are you burned!?” The man exclaimed.

She had to take a pause before she responded with something she would regret, but she seemed to calm a little after seeing the man stare at her with a worried expression. Not to mention there was something about those brown eyes that stared at her hand to make sure that she wasn’t burned but then they shifted to the cup on the floor.

“It’s fine… No. It wasn’t that hot. Thanks for that...” Daisy mumbled. Control, Daisy. Control.

She looked up to see his frantic hesitation to run into the coffee shop, but also his hesitation to pick up her phone which she didn’t realize also fell. Daisy couldn’t help but smirk at how much he fidgeted and looked at her for some sign on what to do. He finally ran inside for some towels and when he returned he realized he couldn’t pat her down and awkwardly handed the towels to her. She barely looked up and just wiped the worse part of the spill. When she actually took a good look at him she realized that he also had coffee all over his leather jacket. Must be a rider? She thought.

As she stared at him, she didn’t realize he asked her a question.

Embarrassed and not knowing what he said; she briskly thanked the man, shoved the coffee stained towels in his hand, and walked away. She wasn’t proud of what she did then, but she was still bitter about having no coffee and if she was going to have enough time to change it seemed she would have to sacrifice her regular coffee and get the burnt coffee from the faculty room. What a joy.

“Ms. Johnson?”

Daisy was taken out of her memories, “Yes, Stacy? What is it?”

“Do you know when Ms. Yo-Yo will be coming back?”

“Again, Stacy, don’t call her Ms. Yo-Yo, her name is Ms. Rodriguez...Well since she is on maternity leave, I want to say in about three months. Why?”

“Okay, because the odds are set, and some of us think we can get this new Spanish sub out by the end of this week and others are stacking by the third week.” 

“Knowing you all, I wouldn’t be surprised if he runs by tomorrow” Daisy teased.

“C’mon Ms. Johnson, you know you love us. Subs just can’t handle our superb personalities as well as abilities. We have to weed out the weak,” said her senior, Manuel. 

She couldn’t help but laugh. These kids were already trying to make the new sub’s life a living hell even if he just started. They weren’t bad kids, but they were a force to say the least. So much creativity and being raised in the roughest parts of East LA, it wasn’t surprising how many of the subs that came passing through couldn’t connect with these kids. Many of these students had past histories that many wouldn’t even dream of, and she was thankful to be able to connect and have an opportunity to be seen as a mentor to some of them.  
They were indeed creative and they sure kept all the teachers on their toes, but they deserved the best. The previous Spanish teacher, Mr. Gutiérrez, she had to admit was an ass. While they took breaks in the faculty lounge, she would hear him brag about working in Beverly Hills, and how this community and Garfield high school lacked resources and motivated students, so she could only imagine how he treated them in class. So needless to say, he didn’t last about a week before his car was finally trashed. 

“I don’t know guys. Like I said earlier, I’m rooting for the guy until the very end. You didn’t see him in action this morning when some kids were acting up. Put me down for $60,” her student Edgar defended.

Daisy became even more intrigued. “Although I don’t support gambling in any form, that is a pretty confident bid Edgar.”

Edgar blushed, but defended his stance, “Ms. Johnson, I’ve seen him in action and I have to say I wouldn’t cross him. He seems prepared for everything. He seems like he came from my barrio too, and I like that he didn’t talk down to us… I’m also curious why he came back too? I heard even from other teachers that he came from this area and he is coming back for some reason? So Manuel, put me down for $60 till the very end.”

“You’re on Edgar!,” Manuel yelled as he took the bid

“30 for the end of this week”

“Alright, 30 for Stacy”

As more bids were going through the air, the final bell rung and the intense chatter and debates continued as they walked out. Daisy’s mood lightened up as she watched them debate away. Albeit, she was a bit annoyed that the last 10 minutes of class were dedicated to this Spanish substitute, but she couldn’t help but be more curious about the huge impression he made on Edgar. She was looking forward to lunch break because hopefully she would finally catch a glimpse of the infamous sub.

\----  
What she didn’t expect was that the faculty lounge would be full of almost all of the instructors also talking about the Spanish Sub. What is it with this guy?

“I heard that he has a girlfriend in this district and he came back to work close to her?

“Really, I heard that he was given an opportunity to be full time but turned it down.”

“I heard that he is a part of the Prison to Career Gateway program and that’s how they got him as a sub”

The last comment bothered her more than it should have. She didn’t even know the guy but her anger probably also came from the person who made the comment.

Grant Ward, the Calculus teacher from classroom 28C. Ward was the teacher that you need but don’t want to have. He had a tendency to be rude to every teacher, but still made sure to let everyone know that his students received the highest test scores. He also was on her blacklist because of his blatant flirting with her even after her break up with the previous school nurse. She was recalling his awkward attempt to flirt with her on the last day before vacation. She couldn’t account for his social awkwardness, but he really couldn’t read boundaries.

“Daisy, have you met him yet? Do you like him? What do you think?” Grant asked and just as she was about to retort, her fellow coworker interrupted.

“Daisy would you like some coffee? I noticed that you didn’t have your regular cup and thought you would like some from the personal Keurig.” Jemma Simmons said with a smile that brightened the dim faculty lounge. Daisy couldn’t help but smile back at the biology and anatomy professor that seemed to save her from engaging with the Grant. Jemma always had the tendency to come at the right moment.

“Thanks. Yeah I had a little mishap at the coffee shop and ….”

Seemingly unperturbed that he was interrupting, Grant continued where he left “Of course you wouldn’t. I don’t think he is your type at all. Besides why do they keep sending these subs that won’t last. Yo-Yo will be coming back anyway. No reason to make him feel at home.”

Daisy was getting exhausted of hearing constantly about the infamous Spanish sub as the topic of conversation, but she couldn’t let his last comment slide.

Just as she was about to tell Grant to shut it, Principal Coulson and Vice Principal May walked into the office.

What next?

They seemed to be taking advantage that the majority of the faculty and staff were in the lounge to give the updates and goals for the rest of the year.  
“Now as some of you may know, we will have a new sub after our little mishap with Mr. Gutiérrez towards the end of last semester...” Principal Coulson went on,

Some smirked from the memories. Nobody was really sorry to miss him.

“We also want to extend our congratulations to Yo-Yo and Mack on their new addition to the family. As you all know, she will be out for the remainder of the school year to care for their beautiful baby girl…”

Daisy looked at Mack who looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here. Mack was the P.E and weightlifting instructor for the school and he had the glare to frighten any 9th through 12th grade student on campus. He was the one everyone called when there were behavioral problems. But even if he was terrifying, Daisy had seen him enough around Yo-Yo and herself to know that he was a very loving and protective man. He and Yo-Yo met when they were coaches during the Track and Field season a couple years back. She was coaching the sprinters and long distance runners and he was coaching the shot-put and discus teams. Even when they would argue about having the field for their practices it was evident that they enjoyed every minute of their arguments. Slowly but surely, even with their conflicting schedules, they only had eyes for each other. She could only imagine what was going on in his head. I mean who wouldn’t want to be at home with their family as well.

“So you are good with that, right Daisy?” She didn’t realize that while pondering she missed half of what Principal Coulson said.

“Yeah..uh...I’m good…with…that….Yes.” She couldn’t admit that she heard none of that. She would make sure to ask Jemma later on.

“Great.” Principal Coulson continued, “In addition to that, some of you may be may not meet Mr. Reyes until Wednesday when we have our full staff meeting, so please make sure to make him feel welcome if you run into him. I have a good feeling about this one.” Grant scoffed at that and Daisy rolled her eyes at his response. Why was he so bothered by the new sub?

She was also intrigued to catch that his name was Mr. Reyes?

“So, I look forward to all the great things we will accomplish this year. We will be keeping in touch. See you all Wednesday”

Daisy turned to look for her friend, but noticed Jemma was already preoccupied in an enthusiastic conversation with Leo Fitz, the physics and engineering teacher. Daisy had already heard rumors that Fitz was infatuated with Jemma and was trying to figure out ways to approach her. She didn’t want to get in the way of his attempt at asking her out. The poor man was already sweating up a storm, so deciding that she already had enough of the faculty lounge she went back to class to enjoy the remaining 15 minutes of her break in silence.

She also wanted to avoid other coworkers asking for her “expertise” on their computers to make sure things were up and running everyone seemed to call only her. Just because she was the computer science teacher didn’t make her their own special “technical support.”

Only two more classes after lunch. Two!

Finally escaping and making it to the class, she noticed a young man at her desk hovering by her computer.

“Excuse me!? What are you doing?”

The man snapped around and to her shock it was the coffee man!? To say she was taken aback would be an understatement.

He seemed to be just as shocked because he just stared at her and looked her over. Any other time she would have called him out, but she was still trying to regain her composure.

Finally getting his bearings, he hesitantly asked, “Are you….Mrs. Daisy Johnson?”

Trying to pull herself together, she finally composed herself and steadily answered “Yes, I’m Miss Johnson. Why are you in my classroom?”

Sensing her sharpness, he started responding, “Principal Coulson mentioned to me that you would be able to help me set up the programs in my classroom or switch classrooms if need be.”

“Wait what?... Since when?”

“He called me to let me know you were okay with it.”

Shit! Of course it would be what she inadvertently agreed too when she wasn’t listening, but leave it to Coulson to spring this on her the day before.

Welp, it was too late to go back now. Rolling her eyes and walking towards her desk she shooed him away from her space: “Yeah I can help you install the programs…But I’m not switching classrooms.”

Responding in the same sharpness, “That’s fine. I told him it would be okay for me to install them, but he insisted that it would be more efficient if you helped me…um...install the program for... ‘cheaper’”

Daisy eyed him closely, “How many programs need to be installed?” she asked while she sat down and started up her computer.

“About 35”

35!? What kind of extra work? This is going into her overtime. 

“What kind of program is this? What class is this for?”

“It’s something I will need when they are practicing conversations in Spanish.”

She didn’t know why, but she shot straight up out of the chair to finally take a good look at this infamous Spanish sub/Coffee man that had occupied almost every conversation this morning.

He took a step back in response to her jumping out of her chair, but his stare remained the same. Stern but inquisitive like he was getting a sense of who she was. 

She couldn’t believe he was the same man from earlier that was extremely fidgety trying to help her. The man who stood before her was calm and collected and seemed to be very mindful of each movement. Although before she didn’t pay much attention, but he did have a powerful presence and the tension was starting to get to her. He didn’t have the leather jacket anymore, but he was dressed in nice slacks and had a black dress shirt. She looked for the evidence of the coffee stains, but she figured his leather jacket took the biggest blow.

“yeah…um yeah I’ll help.” Why was she stuttering?

“I normally work alone but didn’t care to get into another discussion with the Principal.” He stated bluntly.

“Yeah, you’re not the only one…” Oh she could already feel Vice Principal May’s response if she heard her saying that about Coulson. “But yes, I’ll help you. I prefer that then getting moved out of this class which I would have fought tooth and nail for that to never happen”

“Even if it means that you might be working with me earlier in the morning?

She paused. Although she hated the fact that she would be working earlier in the morning, she could deal with it if it meant getting paid overtime. That wasn’t what made her hesitate.  
‘Working with me?’ reverberated in her head. 

She gathered her thoughts and said, “As long as you pay for my coffee, and it stays in the cup…I think we’ll be good working…you know…together…”

He finally looked down but she could see the smirk forming on his lips, “You know…I don’t think coffee is enough repayment…I already owe you for earlier… gotta say…I sorta hate owing people...” he mumbled.

“Like I said Reyes…think of this as an investment, and besides, I think you’ll have enough time to pay me back.” She answered slyly leaning against the front desk.

He looked straight up at her and held her eyes with his brown ones.

“I’m looking forward to it… Ms. Johnson,” he said as he walked out. 

And with that, the final bell rung and she started seeing the student’s heads passing through the hallways to their next class. As her students started walking in, she couldn’t help but think about tomorrow so she could start working on those programs. Daisy Johnson...excited to wake up bright and early and work on computer programs? Who would have thought? 

At that moment, she found herself condemning gambling, but also secretly hoping that Edgar would win this bet.

So much for this day passing without incident.  
\---------

Thank you for reading it! I hope you enjoyed it. Any comments, or reviews are welcome! Thank you again!


	2. Chapter 2

“Ugh how many more??”

“Only fifteen, now relax”

“Remind me that you owe me coffee for the next ten years.”

“Stop being so dramatic..”

“Oh, I’m dramatic? Do your students really need this program?” Daisy complained.

She had to admit she was getting annoyed with herself, but the fact that she had been awake so early had caused her regular irritations to increase tenfold. Helping for the past week and a half trying to input as many programs into the Spanish classroom made her irritable. She was hoping there was an easier way, but unfortunately it wasn’t just a simple “pop in the disc and program installed.” Since they decided on getting the most cost-efficient program, it got a bit time consuming downloading and reinstalling the program into their ancient computers. She knew they were ancient, but actually installing them in another classroom made her realize how lacking the classrooms were in regards to new technology 

He finally stopped working on one of the computers and turned to face her: “Ya deja de quejarte…I’m hoping I can get these ready so my students can start using it by the fourth week anyway. So, mientras más callada te quedes, the faster we can get this done which means no more desmadrugadas...”

“Alright I may not know a lot of Spanish, but I know judgment when I hear it, Reyes” she said raising an eyebrow and feigning offense.

He smirked, “And if it was?”

“Then I’m doubling the number of months you are going to buy me coffee?”

Smiling he said “Maybe you should actually be using this program as well to practice Spanish yourself, I mean you live in Southern California—East LA—of all places…I mean… I would have expected you to know some more Spanish.” He teased.

“Hey now! I just—“Daisy tried to retort.

But she didn’t get a chance to finish her rebuttal because she didn’t realize that a student barged in.

“¡Buenos días maestro!...wait...Ms. Johnson??...uhm…Good morning?”

When she took a good look at the student she realized it was Edgar looking on puzzled at their banter. As Edgar was about to rush out, Daisy called out to him, “Good morning, Edgar. Don’t leave. I was just about to lea--wait…what time is it?”

Edgar smiled a bit and as if reading her mind, “Don’t worry Ms. Johnson. I’m here a bit early, so you’re not late” He quickly assured her, “I’m just here to practice my Spanish a bit more,” 

“¿Cómo estas Edgar? ¿Todo bien?” Robbie interrupted.

“¡Hola! Sí, muy bien, gracias,” Edgar smiled back.

Quickly forgotten, Daisy observed how Robbie’s interaction was with Edgar and she suddenly saw why Edgar bet on him with such confidence. Robbie seemed like a completely different person while talking with him. It was a complete shift the way they were taking with each other and Robbie’s demeanor demanded respect, but also gave such a brotherly vibe that she felt that she was suddenly imposing on their interaction. Feeling intrusive, she looked away and quietly started walking to gather her stuff.

Noticing her presence again, Robbie called out to her, “Thanks for all of your help, Ms. Johnson. It’s alright, we can pick up tomorrow morning…”

“Sure...yeah...don’t worry about it. I can also try to finish at lunch so we can get them done.”

He looked taken aback but laughed, “I wouldn’t want you missing lunch, but if you really hate working on these with me in the morning I can get you off the hook with Principal Coulson,”

She didn’t mean that she hated working with him, but after seeing Edgar, she was intent in not cutting into his tutoring time and reflected that for a computer science teacher that loved her students, she was doing a bad job of showing it. She mentally kicked herself and was annoyed with her own actions. She hated to admit that she enjoyed their banter, but now that caused her to be behind as well as cut into student tutoring. She has never been this inefficient.

“See you during the lunch break Mr. Reyes,” She finally said being mindful that Edgar was watching their exchange.

She saw Robbie hesitate, but he just nodded.

As she walked out, Daisy was stressing. Lost in her thoughts she didn’t notice her student calling out to her.

“Ms. Johnson!”

She turned around to see Edgar run after her gasping for air.

“Edgar, didn’t you have a mini-tutoring session with Ro—uh Mr. Reyes?”

“Yeah…I just…um wanted to ask. Um,” Edgar said fidgeting and blushing profusely

“Yes?” Daisy inquired.

“Well…you umm. I know you probably wouldn’t…but I just have to ask…um...you didn’t tell him about the bet...did you?

She had completely forgotten about the bet that students had to get rid of Robbie so soon, and it made her eye Edgar suspiciously, “No…actually I didn’t”

“Oh...okay…like I knew you weren’t like that…but I got nervous for a sec…when you know…I saw you in there,” he stuttered.

Daisy was quick to counter, “You know teachers do also overhear things from students, so he might find out about it anyway” she countered.

“I know but I really hope he knows that he is still welcome you know…and I mean it— bet or no bet—I really hope he stays till the end of the semester.”

Great Daisy, way to be overly-critical, she mentally scolded herself.

“Don’t worry, I will keep it quiet as long as possible. Unless someone specifically asks me about it, I won’t say anything,”

“Okay, cool…Um could you also not tell the others I’m getting tutored. The fact that I’m here this early. They are never gonna let me hear the end of it,” he laughed nervously.

“Your secret is safe with me,” Daisy smiled and assured him.

“Thanks Ms. Johnson. I appreciate it.” After giving her a smile, he quickly turned around and ran back to the class.

As she walked back to her class, she couldn’t help but think about the bet and how Robbie would actually take it. Would a little bet really send Robbie packing? After working with Robbie for the past week and a half, she couldn’t help but smile smugly at the thought that it would take a lot more than a bet for him to leave.  
\---  
After leaving her fifth period class, which was as always beyond energetic, she was looking forward to the break so she could help Robbie. But before she could do that, she knew she had to go get her lunch to be a better citizen. So Daisy tried to quickly sneak into the faculty lounge to get her lunch and hurry to Robbie’s class; however, her attempt to avoid conversation didn’t work in her favor.

“So, I hear you’ve been hanging out with Mr. Reyes a lot lately; you don’t even want the coffee from my Keurig anymore hmm...” Her co-worker Jemma teased while watching her from a distance in the lounge.

“ha-ha very funny. He owes me from the spill and for helping him with his programs, but I’m almost done. Actually, that’s where I’m headed now. I told him I was going to help during lunch right now.”

“Interesting…that is a pretty nice deal you have going.”

“Hardly. Making me work on his programs. Why can’t he just teach Spanish the old fashion way? Why can’t they just have some vocab exercises or just have worksheets?” “They all better enjoy those programs.” She muttered.

“Oh Daisy, because if we had to be serious, how well did that strategy serve us as students when we were learning another language,” Jemma argues “I’m actually interested in this innovative and interactive method, and if we are being truly honest, he’s not making you do anything,” Jemma sarcastically answered as she took a sip from her coffee.

Trying to avoid the subject and Jemma’s piercing stare, Daisy turned around to quickly prepare herself a coffee from the infamous lounge coffeemaker: “Alright, alright, whatever, I get it. Enough of me, let’s actually talk about you. Because you know, recently, I’ve heard some little birdies twittering about something going on between a certain physics/engineer teacher and a certain biology/anatomy teacher”

Jemma blushed “Oh goodness. Don’t tell me those birdies are students. How mortifying…I swear I hear rumors every week, but I’m afraid…that this rumor has some truth to it. He actually just asked me out for dinner and…I said yes.”

Daisy nearly choked on her coffee that she barely started sipping. “What?” Her eyes went wide and her jaw dropped. “Since when?! And why haven’t you told me!? I need the details quick!”

“Well...it all started when—” Jemma started but was cut off.

“Simmons, Daisy, how are you ladies today?”

Daisy didn’t want to look around and acknowledge Grant’s unwelcome intrusion.

“Good afternoon,” they both said.

Grant not really expecting or caring about how their actual day was going continued, “Hey Daisy, I’ve been meaning to ask you. You wouldn’t mind coming to my class to fix my computer right; I mean you don’t look busy now. You want to come now?”

Daisy tried to keep a calm demeanor, but preventing an eye roll was taking more effort than usual.

“Sorry I already made a commitment to finish helping Robbie,” she calmly stated while looking at him over her shoulder.

Grant scoffed, “You’ve been ‘helping’ him all week; I think you can spare some time to just help me get rid of a simple glitch”

Officially annoyed but trying to stay civil, she turned to fully face him and smiled.

“If it’s that simple, I think you will be just fine without me,” she answered sharply.

Grant trying to gather his bearings quickly rephrased “What I mean is, you can just check it fast and work through it really quick way before the bell rings.”

Daisy looked at Jemma and Jemma simply shrugged not knowing what to say either.

“Look fine, I’ll go quick, but then I have to leave.” Daisy replied 

“Great!” Grant said smiling, but Daisy was just thinking how she was going to avoid his idle chatter. Unfortunately, that was very hard to evade.

“So how is ol’ Robbie handling the transition. I heard a bet going around that they are trying to get rid of him”

Daisy couldn’t help but stutter in her step in surprise, “How did you hear about the bet?”

“Come on Daisy, of course I know. The students are in my class as well.”

“Right, yeah…” Daisy mumbled. Her mind was racing. She couldn’t really pinpoint what her real surprise was. Grant knowing about the bet and being the type who would actually tell Robbie. Or the familiarity that he said “ol’ Robbie” as if they have known each other for quite some time.

Once they got to the classroom and she started to check his computer, Grant seemed to not want to let the topic go: “So what do you think?”

“I haven’t really found the glitch you were talking about. Is your system running slow or something?” She asked confused. Why was he wasting her time with this? 

“No, I meant about Robbie! You have been hanging out with him for the past week, so I’m curious about what you think.”

She didn’t look at Grant, but stayed focused on finishing her task at hand. Speaking of Robbie, she needed to get back to his class because she didn’t want him thinking she didn’t want to work with him. She needed to clarify to Robbie that that wasn’t the case. She also made a promise to him. 

“Again, I’m not sure why you care what I think. I only came to help you with your computer ‘glitch’ so let’s just cut the chatter and finish this” Daisy answered curtly.

Grant’s demeanor became more stern, and it was clear he wasn’t getting the answer he was looking for. However, he knew just how to unsettle her.

“Care to do a bet of our own?” Grant proposed.

“What?” Daisy turned around to fully face him, annoyed and unsure of where this was going.

“Yeah, tell you what. I bet that he won’t last here for a month. I know for a fact that he is not the best role model and it’s only a matter of time before he does something stupid. So I think, within a month he won’t make it. He never sticks through with anything anyway. Why should this be any different? And if I win, you treat me to lunch.”

“So, you do know him,” she said accusingly.

Grant scoffed, “Well I guess we do have some…history” he said as he looked outside the window clenching his jaw.

Daisy was not one for work politics, but the fact that Robbie wasn’t here to defend himself and the fact that Grant was trying to manipulate her so he could have his date, forced her hand.

“Well it must have been a shock for you to see him back, but I need to remind you he has only been here a week and honestly, he has been able to genuinely help and connect with more students than you ever have. Your glitch is fixed, but I can’t say the same for you.” She stared at him intently and unmoving as if challenging him with that bet.

Grant stood there gaping at her, and as she stared back into his eyes; she saw how Grant’s eyes shifted from annoyance and illustrated a hint of anger, but there was something else.

“Well... we will just have to see how long good ol’ Reyes is here for then,” He said smiling; hollow and sarcastic and not at all happy.

She didn’t know what compelled her to say it, but she responded without missing a beat “You’re right. We will just have to wait and see. And just so you know, if it wasn’t clear,…I’m betting on Reyes.”

As she was turning to leave, she hadn’t realized some students were already in the classroom watching them stare intently at each other. She had no idea when they came in or how much they heard, but it just made her flustered and rush out faster.

She didn’t know what caused her to say it, but she had to defend Robbie. And she just about had it with not knowing the actual story and hearing ambiguous statements. Thank goodness, the bell rang, but that also meant she couldn’t finish helping Robbie which caused her annoyance to become anger because Grant got exactly what he wanted.

While she was watching her students work on their projects during the last period of the day, she was devising a plan to meet Robbie right after class to apologize but to also learn more about this rift. However, it would be just her luck that the seniors who were getting ready graduate had to ask her all of their questions right after class.

Once the last students left, Daisy rushed to his classroom.

“Shit.” She wasn’t surprised he had already left; it was after all 30 minutes after the last bell. However, while standing in the empty class she felt a strong resolve and decided it was time to at least finish what was left of all the computer programs so she could surprise him in the morning. She didn’t understand why, but the thought of surprising him made her smile.

“Alright, Daisy. Let’s get to work”  
\---  
After finishing the last programs, she didn’t have time to feel proud of herself because it was already almost two hours after school and she needed to get home. She had enough of school for the day.

After gathering her stuff, she walked to her car and noticed how empty the school was except for a few cars. She could already imagine it being Principal Coulson and Vice Principal May preparing for the next day.

As she got in her car and started leaving the parking lot, she devised her new plan to talk with him and actually think of ways to ask Robbie the history he has with Ward. However, she didn’t want to be insensitive and was having difficulty brainstorming ways to bring it up naturally.

Lost in her thoughts, she didn’t notice the abnormal amount of white smoke escaping from the tailpipe of her car, and in a matter of minutes white smoke started coming from under the hood of her car and the engine stalled.

“Shit! No, No, No, NO!” Daisy exclaimed and pulled over.

“Why would you break down only two blocks away from school!! I want to get home you stupid piece of junk!!” Daisy shouted at the car as she got out quickly to try to pop the hood, but before she could do that, out of frustration she kicked the rim as hard as she could and instantly regretted that.

“Excuse me, are you alright?”

Daisy snapped around trying to ignore the growing pain in her foot when she noticed a young man in a wheelchair peering at her with inquisitive brown eyes.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I um didn’t know anyone else was around…Um. Did you hear…?” Daisy questioned nervously.

He smiled at her, “No worries. Trust me, I’ve heard worse. Is your foot okay?”

“Yeah. It was just a reaction that I should have thought twice about. I’m sorry for startling you. It’s just one of those days. You know?”

“I hear ya. If it helps, my brother is actually a really great mechanic, and I know he would be more than happy to help you. I can call him right now. I think he should already be at the garage so I think he can come right away.” The boy smiled.

Daisy became overwhelmed with gratitude because this kid felt like her guardian angel. Again, she knew she was acting overly dramatic, but as the day was going, she needed something positive. “That would be amazing! But are you sure that won’t be too much trouble? Is he picking you up?” she asked hesitantly.

“It’s no trouble at all. I normally take the bus because I get out of Physics Club at this time, and I don’t want my brother to have to drive back and forth from his job to the garage, so I finally convinced him that I can take the bus and it drops me off right by his work. He wasn’t okay with it for the first couple of weeks, but I was finally able to get him to let me go on my own. And now here I am, babbling way to much info about my brother, but also simultaneously saving a teacher from breaking her foot” he smirked. 

Daisy couldn’t help but chuckle, and for some reason as she looked at his eyes and watched him grin she got a weird sense of familiarity. She didn’t have time to ponder because his comment caught off guard. “How did you know I was a teacher?” Daisy asked in surprise.

“Oh, I’ve seen you around the halls at Garfield, but I also just saw your car leave the faculty parking lot,” he grinned.

She scoffed remembering she was still only two blocks away from the school 

“Hahaha right. Well I am glad you are saving me too mister….?” She asked inquisitively.

“Oh, haha no need for mister. Just a student helping a professor in need. The name is Gabriel, but I go by Gabe.”

“Well, thank you for being my guardian angel, Gabe,” she thanked.

“It is my pleasure miss…??

“Johnson.”

“Alright Ms. Johnson, let me just call my brother, and he should be able to get here in about 15 minutes.”

As Gabe wheeled to the side to call his brother privately, Daisy couldn’t help but be warmed by his kindness. Knowing herself, she would have been more frustrated if she had to call Jemma and get her out of her possible date. Or worse, walking back to campus and having Principal Coulson help her. She shuddered at the thought.

While Gabe was talking on the phone, she started walking to her car and finally opened her hood. As the extreme smoke engulfed the air around her, Daisy started coughing and cursing the universes interesting way of challenging her mental state. But as she briefly overheard Gabe’s voice talking on the phone, Daisy was happy at the mere fact that a student was kind enough to offer his help. And a student from Garfield high school at that. Smiling at the thought, she realized that she should start taking her stuff out of the car. Reaching in to gather her papers, laptop and electronics, she heard a car drive up, and heard Gabe start talking to someone in Spanish. Realizing it must be his brother, she gathered the last of her stuff and double checked the backseat once more before stepping out of her stalled and stupid vehicle.

“Daisy?”

She stopped abruptly. Frozen. She didn’t need to look up from her stuff to know that the voice didn’t belong to Gabe. No, she had been working with that voice for the past week and half. She knew that voice already.

Finally looking up, she looked at the man who shared the same brown eyes she saw in Gabe. Standing before her in the same leather jacket that she saw on the first day they met.

 

Well shit.

 

\----------------------------------------------

Translations:  
“Ya deja de quejarte” - stop complaining  
“...mientras más callada te quedes” - the quieter you are  
“Desmadrugadas” - early mornings  
“¿Cómo estas Edgar? ¿Todo bien?” - “How are you Edgar? Everything good?  
“¡Hola! Sí, muy bien, gracias” - “Hello. Yes, really good, thank you.” 

AN: Thank you so much for your patience with this AU. I hope you enjoyed it. I had to re-outline some of my main ideas, so it took me a bit longer trying to regroup and outline my expectations for this fic and I want to make sure I finish it and not leave it "in-progress" forever.  A special shout-out to @quakerider-hell for being an amazing beta reader whom I love to bounce ideas off of. And for also providing constant reminders and motivation to get it done. Lol Hopefully, once finals are over and I have an actual break from work, I will be able to hash out this story in its entirety. I already have it pretty much all outlined out, so fingers crossed that the wait won’t be as long and that it is worth it. I really hope you enjoy it and I am so thankful to the growth of the Quakerider/Ghostquake fandom. It was awesome to see the increase in stuff.  
   
Any comments, or reviews are welcome! Thank you again!


	3. Chapter 3

“Reyes?” was all she managed to whisper. Her mind was reeling. Gabe said a mechanic, but why did it have to be Robbie Reyes. Of all people?

Trying to gather her bearings proved to be a much harder feat as Robbie’s brown eyes continued to stare at her just as shocked. She felt enraptured by those brown eyes with speck of gold as sunlight hit them. How could she not see the resemblance sooner? There was no denying that these brothers shared the same kind eyes and smile. She still needed to think about what she wanted to say to him, and all she could think of was an apology. 

Finally needing to break the silence, she found her voice: “When Gabe said his brother was a mechanic…I wasn’t expecting…” was all she managed to stutter. _Great Daisy that was really composed, she berated herself._

Seemingly getting out of his shock as well, Robbie cleared his throat: “Yeah, he didn’t mention anything else besides someone’s car breaking down, so I didn’t expect it to be…well...” 

“Wait, is this the same Daisy?” Gabe chimed in with enthusiasm.

They both jumped because they both seemed to forget that they weren’t alone.  
She noticed the blush that appeared on Robbie as he broke eye contact with her and turned to face Gabe.

Trying to ignore the way her heart stuttered when she saw just how flustered he became, she couldn’t help but play with this new information “So, you talk about me, Reyes?” Daisy teased.

“Only about how much you complain,” Robbie said without skipping a beat.

“That’s not true! He comes home and ––” Gabe interrupted, but before he could continue Robbie quickly grabbed his wheelchair and wheeled him in the direction of the tow truck.

“Alright that’s enough out of you!” he wheeled his brother quickly to the truck and carried him out of the wheelchair and gently placed him in the tow truck. Robbie said something to Gabe that Daisy couldn’t make out, but it was enough to entice Gabe to laugh hysterically as Robbie put him in the truck. 

She couldn’t resist smiling at Gabe’s honesty and Robbie’s flustered demeanor. Daisy was so used to seeing Robbie every morning that she had forgotten how long it was since she last saw him outside of a school setting. Gabe had a way of lowering his guard and completely disrupting his calm and collected demeanor, but she was loving every minute of it.

“Sorry about that,” Robbie said while making his way back to her. “So, what seems to be the problem?”

“Ah yeah, so my car just started spewing white smoke all of sudden and I have no idea why… I’m glad it didn’t catch fire, but you know, not the best way to end the day. “

“True, but at least you weren’t stranded by yourself in the middle of nowhere,” he said as he opened the hood of the car.

“Yeah…I have to admit that I’m glad it was here too, I mean I would have never thought I would meet another Reyes in the process,” Daisy said.

Robbie stayed silent as he inspected her engine.

“You know…he was telling me how great of a mechanic his brother is. Always full of surprises…aren’t you Reyes?” she smiled. 

Robbie glanced up at her, “Well yeah, that’s Gabe for you, always exaggerating.”

“Don’t worry…I’ll be the judge of that...” Daisy tried to assure, but as she watched him continue inspecting her car, curiosity got the best of her. She silently asked, “Why didn’t you tell me that you worked at another job?” 

Robbie hesitated before responding, “It’s not exactly something that comes up in conversation. Besides, I’m only subbing at Garfield part-time, so no need to tell everyone I meet…I just need to make sure I pay the bills for Gabe and stuff.”

Daisy felt a hint of sadness and hurt knowing that he didn’t plan to stay longer, but wasn’t sure if it bothered her that he didn’t tell her.

“I see,…so, not here for the long-term then huh?”

Robbie paused long enough to realize that she might be treading some sensitive area and he wasn’t subtle when he changed the subject back to her car.

“Did you notice if smoke came from the tailpipe?”

“Uh, I’m not sure,” Daisy said quickly.

“Alright cuz, it could be a coolant leak, so I can’t open the radiator cap until it cools down. But it could be an oil leak as well, so it would be better if I take it in and see…I can give you a ride back home if you haven’t called anyone yet?” 

“Um, no, I should be fine. I can call someone really quick.”

Gabe quickly interrupted, “We can take you home! We can’t leave you stranded after you hurt your foot.”

“You hurt your foot?” Robbie asked with a hint of worry.

Daisy started to see the fault in Gabe’s honesty trait. “No, it was just done in fit of rage and well my foot paid the price...” Daisy quickly brushed off.

“Glad it’s not broken, but I would have paid to see that,” Robbie teased. “Tell you what, I can drop your car off at the garage and this blabbermouth, then I can take you home.”

“Who’s the blabbermouth? And excuse me, why can’t _I_ drop her off? I’m the one who saved her.”

“Oh yeah, totally saved, let’s forget the one that actually came to pick her up. It’s fine,” Robbie shot back.

As they continued to bicker, Daisy became even more overwhelmed with gratitude but she couldn’t accept the offer: “I’ve already bothered you both enough. I’ll be fine. I’m not far.”

Robbie turned to her and scoffed, “Look, if it makes you feel any better, think of it as my repayment for your help for the past week instead of the coffee. So, _ya cállate y subete_ ” he said firmly.

“That means shut up and get in the truck,” Gabe said smiling.

“Yeah I gathered that,” Daisy answered and started moving towards them.

As she was about to get in, Robbie held out his hand to help her into the truck. Looking at his hand, she grabbed it and felt his grip on her hand tighten as he helped her in. Daisy tried not to ruminate on it. _He was just being polite because that’s what gentlemen do, right?_

Once she was seated next to Gabe, Robbie started putting her stuff in the back, she saw how he got to work connecting the car to the tow truck. 

“So, Ms. Daisy, oh may I call you Ms. Daisy?”

“haha, Daisy would be fine,”

“Daisy it is. I’ll try not to call you Daisy in the hallways, but you know, can’t make any promises.” Gabe said with a chuckle.

Daisy loved the energy that he gave off; he was a complete opposite of his brother in energy, and understood why it took a minute for her to recognize the similarities. What they had in resemblance, they had the complete opposite in personality.

Out of the corner of her eye she looked in the rearview mirror just in time to see Robbie start hooking up her car to the tow truck. As she watched him closely she noticed his intent glare as he stared at chains; it was then that she remembered a student once commented that it would be easy to fall under that temptation to watch him. She knows she would probably learn nothing of Spanish if he was teaching her.

“See, what did I tell you?” The sound of Gabe’s voice snapped her out of her reverie and she looked back at Gabe. “I told you he would be more than happy to help you out. My brother’s great. If worse comes to worse, he is the only person in this world that I know would drop everything to help a person in need without question.”

Daisy feeling caught, and shook her head slightly, hoping the thoughts of Robbie working would disappear with each shake.  
Turning back to Gabe she pondered. “I can see how much he loves you…I mean I’ve only seen you both for a bit, but would it be cheesy to say that your eyes say it all.”

Gabe’s smile showed the sense of pride, but at the same time a bit of sadness.

“You know, it’s always been me and him against the world…but I have to say, it’s been interesting to hear about the bet to get rid of him,” Gabe said quietly.

Daisy’s heart felt torn watching Gabe’s demeanor change. Of course Gabe would hear about it amongst the student body. It's a very different issue to hear about family being bet on, and people willingly trying to get rid of him.

“Do you think he knows about it?” Daisy asked trying to be discreet.

“Probably, but he is not the type to let things like that bother him or even talk about them, but it was an interesting experience when they asked me if I wanted in on the bet...”

Curiosity got the best of her. “Do you think they kn—…well…know?” 

“That he’s my brother?—Nah, I doubt it. I didn’t advertise it either. We try to keep our identities separate as well. If you couldn’t tell right away, you think the students there would catch on? But as his loyal and amazing brother, I had to defend him the only way I could.” 

“And what way was that?”

“I bet ten dollars on him” Gabe started chuckling. “I’m a little limited on funds so that’s all the support my brother’s going to get from me.”

Daisy started laughing. “Well, that is a good start to a defense fund, but one thing is for sure is I know some who are betting on him to stay as well.” Daisy said trying to assure him.

At that, Gabe looked up and a hopeful smile graced his face, “Really?” he asked incredulously.

“Mhm, and I am not a gambler but let’s just say that I know a few bids might be changing soon,” she winked.

It was worth seeing Gabe’s attitude lighten up after the fact. She didn’t want to admit that she only knew of Edgar, but she also didn’t want to admit she was also betting on Robbie. That bit of information would be revealing too much that she didn’t understand herself at the moment.

“It’s only a matter of time, but I have faith, even if he is a hothead, he’ll win them over.”

Daisy smiled at the thought. “Yeah, I agree.” 

They were startled as they heard Robbie open the door on the driver's side of the truck.

“So, Daisy, what do you think of my brother as a teacher?” Gabe inquired the minute Robbie sat in the driver’s seat.

Although it startled her, she didn’t mind the change in subject. “Well I haven’t seen him in action, but I know he is pretty dedicated because why else would he have me inputting interactive language programs in the school’s ancient computers so early in the morning? A true testament to his dedication.” She turned to him: “But I have to be honest, I really didn’t expect you to be the one rescuing us. Well, me.” she quickly amended. 

Without looking at her, Robbie responded, “You accepted to help, but you could have just told me no if it was that much of an annoyance.”

Sensing his irritation, Daisy felt the need to defend herself. “I told you I wanted to help.”

“It honestly would have been easier without all the _quejas_ that you were giving,” Robbie said. 

Daisy’s eyebrows furrowed as she tried to decipher whether he was teasing or being sarcastic: “Alright Reyes, I know I’m not the friendliest person in the morning, but I still wanted to help.”

“No, I get it, but it might send a different message when that said someone says they’ll come during lunch to, you know, help, even when other said person didn’t ask for that, but in the end, they don’t show up. That message is pretty clear, so at least _desengañame_ if that isn’t the case.” 

“If you are bothered because I didn’t make it during lunch, you should know that it wasn’t my fault, I was actually going to go to your class right after, but the bell rang and…I got held up.”

“Hey, look, you have your priorities and you do what you gotta do. Like I said, you don’t have to keep helping me… I guess I was just surprised on _who_ you were actually helping during lunch...” Daisy looked at him in time to see him clench his jaw while focusing on the road intently.

 _‘who you were actually helping’_ kept replaying in her mind. She was able to get a sense that he didn’t mean to say the last part because he immediately bit his lower lip, as if to shut himself up, but her mind was reeling because she was trying to understand how he found out that she was helping Ward. 

“Who were you helping?” Gabe curiously interjected unperturbed by their arguments. He either wasn't reading the tension or completely disregarding it altogether.

Flustered, Robbie responded quickly, “It’s not important, I was just…forget I said anything. Gabe how was your Physics Club? What kind of weird ass projects are you all trying to create now.”

Daisy as sure as hell wasn’t going to forget. She was still stressing as to how he found out, but also officially annoyed and regretting even staying after class to finish his other computers. But she was going to hold off on telling him so he could feel all the guilt in the morning. Just you wait Reyes.

Gabe still seemingly untroubled and as if he had been through this before turned to her. “Daisy, if you are interested you are more than welcome to come to our mini-symposium we are hosting for the Physics Club. We are holding it in the auditorium so it should be fun. Robbie normally tries to avoid symposiums I attend but he also really can’t go this time around. Would you like to?”

Thankful for the interruption, she wanted to also annoy Robbie: “I would love to help support any club on our campus, so it would be my pleasure.” She said with more emphasis than she should have.

“Great it’s in about a week and a half. Don’t forget! You can be our guest of honor”

Robbie feeling left out “ _Orale, pinche mamila._ Just inviting people left and right. Who said I wasn’t going?”

“Um, you said, that you were busy and wouldn’t be caught dead at one of those even though I know you always go and hover.”

“Well, what if I wanted to see this one?”

“Robbie, you just told me last week, and I quote ‘good luck, but hell nah’”

Watching them banter made her feel as if she had known them for much longer than she had. Even if she was still frustrated with Robbie’s previous response, she was glad to be able to see this side of Robbie. Although Daisy was curious to a fault, she knew when some things were meant to stay in the past and it became clear that whatever past Robbie and Ward shared, it had to come from Robbie’s own lips. And so far, he didn't seem like a sharing type of person.

After feeling the truck come to a stall, Daisy realized that Robbie had parked and looked at her surroundings. Looking around she saw the Canelo's Auto Body Shop sign on the building where Robbie worked. She quickly recognized it, as she always passed by it going home from work every day. Robbie quickly got off the truck to unload her car.

As they watched him get off the truck, Gabe turned to face Daisy. “Don’t take what he says too seriously; even if it looks like we bicker with each other all the time, that’s how we show love,” he assured her.

“Oh, that’s okay. We bicker with each other pretty much every morning too, so I’m not surprised. What does surprise me though, is him driving me home,” Daisy chuckled, but refused to admit she was a bit hurt. 

“Trust me, he wouldn’t leave _you_ stranded.”

Daisy tried not to read into Gabe’s statement too much, but they had a way of making her feel special.

“Anyways, while he is outside, I’m curious. Who did you actually see?”

Wishing she could avoid bringing up Ward, Daisy became reluctant because she wasn’t sure how much history Gabe and Robbie had in this area, but as she continued to stare at his grinning face she finally gave in.

“You should know that if I had a choice, I would have been working with your brother. It was a bit hard to say no in the setting I was in even if I didn’t want to. So again, it was not of my own volition but..”

“I know how that goes, but who was it? Come on, you can tell me.”

Daisy hesitated but finally said, “I was helping the calculus teacher, Grant Ward.”

Gabe’s face dropped and his smile instantly disappeared from his face, “Ohh...now it makes sense.”

Daisy instantly regretted mentioning the name as Gabe started silently contemplating. “So, Robbie saw him talking with you then? Well…have to say…I didn’t see _that_ coming.”

Just as she was about to say something, Robbie came walking back to them.  
“Gabe, change of plans: I’m driving you home so that gives Daisy enough time to fill out paperwork with Canelo and to double check that nothing else is in there because it looks like it’s going to be here for a while.”

Daisy’s heart sank at the revelation, but she preferred not being burned alive by her hazardous car. 

As Robbie helped Gabe into his car and they were saying their goodbyes, Gabe looked at her. “Hey Daisy, remember, don’t let this guy give you a hard time…I’ll keep an eye out for you at school, and don’t forget about the symposium.”

“I won’t forget Gabe. I’m looking forward to it.” Daisy said as she waved goodbye.

Robbie just nodded and said, “I’ll come back for you.”

 _Well this is going to be an interesting ride_ , Daisy thought as she saw them leave.

\----  
Robbie came back within 20 minutes, so it didn’t really give her a chance to plan what she wanted to say to him. It also didn’t help that when he pulled up she was distracted by the beautiful black, sleek 1969 Dodge Charger that came roaring into the repair shop parking lot with Robbie as the driver. Stepping out of the car, he looked at her and asked if she was ready.

 

“So how much am I going to owe you?” Daisy said as he started approaching her. 

“No charge…I mean, on a regular day you wouldn’t be able to afford me on your salary,” Robbie teased with his usual smirk that made his whole face crinkle. “Don’t worry I already talked to my boss and he says it’s cool if it stays here. I’ll be getting to it in two days because I have a couple cars ahead of it, but it shouldn’t be a problem...So, where to?” he smiled. 

“Are you sure?” she hesitated. 

“Listen, I already came back for you, so don’t make me convince you that I’m dropping you off,” he opened the passenger door waiting for her and signaling her in. “So, _vamonos_ ”

Daisy searched his face for a long moment, trying to calm her nerves as she finally got into his Charger. 

The first few minutes were awkward to say the least. They're on their way to her home, but there’s still some weird tension from earlier, so Daisy trying to break the ice comments, “Your ride is amazing. I didn’t realize the Charger I saw in the faculty parking lot was yours.”

“Yeah, another thing I don’t advertise...but now that you have the honor of meeting her. You should know; her name is Lucy,” he says as they are stopped at a red-light. 

“Well, Lucy is beautiful,” she says into the silence.

Daisy slightly glances over to look at him when she sees him watching her, like he’s working something out.

And there was that awkward silence again. The only things that could be heard were the cars that passed by while they were at the stoplight and the intakes of each other’s breathing. Finally, not being able to take the stillness anymore, Daisy blurted out:

_“I’m sorry—” “Listen about what I said—”_

They both interrupted each other. Great, now that just made it ten times more awkward. _Wonderful,_ and just as the stoplight turned green. 

As he drove forward, Robbie was the first one to talk, “Listen, about what I said earlier...It was uncalled for. I didn’t mean to get annoyed; there was honestly no reason at all for me to be annoyed. I...don’t know what came over me…but I shouldn’t have said those things after all the help that you have given me. So, I want to say that I really appreciate it, and I’m sorry if I seemed ungrateful...”

Daisy smirked at his really awkward, but heartfelt apology. She could get used to this, however, she also saw this as an opportunity to tease him a bit. “Reyes, Reyes, Reyes. An apology from you? What a day this has been.”

Robbie looked back at the road but chuckling a bit, “Alright, alright. I know. I was a jerk.”

Daisy laughed, “That I won’t deny, but you’re redeeming yourself Mr. Jerk with the fact that you saved me from my smoking vehicle. Your brother is awesome by the way. I’m surprised I haven’t seen him at the school before.”

Robbie’s attitude lightened up at the mention of his brother. “Yeah, he is such a smart kid. I’m surprised you haven’t seen him either. We moved back a while ago to be closer to UCLA medical center again, but he started Garfield about three months ago. He actually convinced me to apply when a subbing position opened up, and it’s also extra money for the bills, so that’s a plus. My boss, Canelo, is also pretty flexible with my hours so I can work in the evenings and some weekends. And well, now you have the luxury of knowing us both,” Robbie managed to smile. 

“Well I don’t know about one Reyes brother because that first meeting, if I recall correctly, ended with me being drowned in caffeine and working earlier in the mornings. But the other one, I have to agree is a savior for sure,” Daisy teased.

She didn’t expect Robbie to start cackling and how contagious his smile and laughter was. She tried to ignore the tightening feeling in her stomach as she laughed with him. 

After composing himself, Robbie’s face shifted and grew in seriousness “Yeah, that other Reyes sounds like an ass, but Gabe.. well, he is a savior in more ways than one…he’s everything to me. He’s all I have…” And there it was again, both Reyes brothers leaving her speechless. 

As if her body moved on her own, she placed her hand gently on Robbie’s hand not knowing what else to do. Robbie looked down at her hand covering his and slowly looked at her, unsure of what to say or do as well. As their eyes connected, Daisy stomach went warm as they both were enraptured by each other’s eyes. 

_BEEP_

Daisy and Robbie jumped and quickly looked away after realizing that they were at a stop sign and hadn’t moved. The frustrated drivers behind them relentlessly continued to honk as if they had stopped the road completely. 

“Alright, alright. I’m moving” Robbie said nonchalant but it was clear that he was trying to avoid contact with her by keeping both hands on the wheel. 

Daisy intertwined her fingers and clenched her hands together feeling as if she had been burned. 

The rest of the car ride fell into silence as Robbie continued to drive and the only other words uttered was when Daisy said “left,” “right,” or “straight.” She glanced over to him to fully observe his intensity and wondered what was running through his mind. After Robbie turned the final corner following the directions she gave him, they finally reached the home she had grown up in. 

“The gray one is mine,” Daisy muttered. 

As Robbie pulled up to the side of the curb across the street, he looked at the house she pointed to. 

They still stayed silent and hyper aware that neither one moved. “Well, thank you again. You know, for everything,” Daisy mumbled.

“Like I said, think of it as repayment because I sure as hell ain’t buying you coffee anymore,” Robbie said while keeping both hands on the wheel and staring at her home. 

Daisy briefly laughed, “So, I’ll see you at school tomorrow...bright and early” 

“Yeah.”

As Daisy started to open the door to the Charger, she was startled by Robbie’s voice: “Do you need a ride? I mean in the morning. To school?” he quickly said while keeping his eyes still transfixed on her home.

Daisy looked at him confused: “I can’t make you drive all the way out here.” 

“It was only fifteen minutes from Canelo’s” 

“Yeah, but that’s not even counting from your home. I can’t ask that of you.” 

“You don’t even live that far from us, and besides, I wouldn’t hear the end from it from Gabe if he knew I left you without transportation.”

“I can take the bus.”

“And again, I wouldn’t hear the end of it from Gabe.”

“But...are you sure?”

“Would I offer if I wasn’t sure?” he finally turned to look at her this time, and all she could do was sit there, enticed by his brown eyes and at a loss of words by his offer. 

“Alright…” she managed to say. 

Robbie gazed at her and the corners of his mouth turned up into the type of smile that made his eyes crinkle. 

“Then, I’ll see you bright and early. Don’t make me late,” Robbie teased. 

Daisy nodded and started to get out of the car with all of her stuff. “Do you need to write my address?”

Turning to her Robbie smirked, “I think I’ll manage” and with that he drove away leaving Daisy at the edge of the curb watching as the Charger roared away. 

 

\------------  
Translations: 

ya cállate y subete- shut up and get in

Vamonos – let’s go

\------------  
AN: Well the life of the procrastinator is the struggle of getting inspired at 3’o clock in the morning and your whole day being consumed by a fic. Maybe I’m making up for the three month wait, who knows. I want to give a HUGE shout out to @quakerider-hell for the being the ultimate beta reader and again for the constant motivation and input. Like straight up this took up pretty much the whole day, so major props and appreciation! It’s always a pleasure bouncing off ideas and obsessing over quakerider. Also, super thanks to my amazing sister who also looks over my outline and approves my future angst; She is also the first person to hear my ideas. However, now I will be able to only update until after finals. Lol So now, without further ado, here is the monster of a chapter—chapter three. I really hope it delivers. Any comments, or reviews are welcome! Thank you again!


End file.
